Streets of Tangier explores the ancestral memories of the Indo-Europena migrations, which connects the Maghreb with other places in the Mediterrenean region and Asia. Using a microscopic observation of the everyday life in the Old Medina, the artist intends to uncover the interconnectedenss of African, Asian and European histories through a discursive and visual representation of the complexity of cross-cultural identities and a sensory experience of the city’s immutable time. Tangier is a place which held a key role on the political and financial international chessboard, becoming a world famous destination for writers, artists and the European demi-monde, but also a place where ancient Gnawa musicians continue to perform in the shadow of private courtyards and narrow alleyways. As a brotherhood practicing a rite of possession accompanied by music and dance, these musicians keep alive the connections between Gnawa and the spiritual practice of Sufism through a syncretistic practice, which bears similarities to Brazilian Condomblé (explored in the sounds tapestry of Streets of Salvador), Southern Italian ‘tarantism’ and African Voodoo.
English
